Review by Daniel Mansfield

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The Eternity Club 1 propels Bernice Summerfield into an exciting new era as she joins an elite society of the universe’s greatest explorers. Unlike recent stories, where Benny has been tied to the Doctor’s orbit, The Eternity Club offers her a brand new set of challenges and a new cast of colorful aliens, creatures, and oddballs in a tightly-paced, 30-minute episodic format.

The opening story, The Armageddon Chair by James Goss, introduces us to the world of the Eternity Club, finding Benny forced to undertake odd jobs to pay off her membership fees. As she does so, we meet the Club’s many charming residents, from haughty Drahvin queen Grizella and fussy Draconian professor Altazar to a sentient gas cloud and a talking tree. It’s a credit to Goss’s writing that, while we find these weird and wonderful characters funny, they never feel silly – while they have their quirks, these never define them.

The star of the first episode is Simon Kane‘s forgetful cyborg 312, who starts off as a Benny hater but who, over the course of the episode, warms to her. It’s interesting to have Benny on the back foot here- while she’s usually in charge, the denizens of the Club hold no reverence for her, seeing her as just a ‘human’ rather than the badass adventurer we listeners know her as. This means there’s conflict baked into the very premise of this series, alongside conflicts that arise in each episode, which makes things constantly interesting.

The story ends on a wonderful note of bathos, before setting up an intriguing mystery as Niamh Cusack is introduced as the Club’s oldest member. While the plot might not be as gripping as some of Goss’s other works, there’s no denying The Armageddon Chair is a masterclass in setup, effortlessly introducing the new world in which this series is set.

The second story in the set, Triumph of the Drahvin, also by Goss, takes us away from the Eternity Club to the planet Paroon, where Grizella (Naana Agyei-Ampadu) is leading an archaeological expedition. Once again, Benny finds herself on the backfoot, her archaeological experience being dismissed by the gang in favour of Grizella’s. All she’s good for in their eyes is serving lunch.

While there are some cameos from other Eternity Club residents here, this story is really Benny and Grizella’s. The story deftly explores the pressures and expectations faced by women in male-dominated spaces, with Grizella’s idealism being juxtaposed against Benny’s blunt realism. This thematic thread elevates the adventure, adding a layer of commentary that feels both relevant and organic.

Although neither of the stories here are up there with Goss’s best, there’s no denying The Eternity Club 1 is a success, expertly handling the difficult task of introducing lots of new characters, while simultaneously keeping the focus on Benny. Add to that some captivating new mysteries, and this seems like it could be the start of something very special indeed.

The Eternity Club 1 is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com

The Eternity Club continues next month